Josh Shaw, the USC cornerback and team captain who was hailed for being a hero for rescuing a nephew in a pool and injuring both of his ankles in the process, now admits that it was all a lie. In a statement released by his attorney, Donald Etra, Josh Shaw acknowledged lying … “On Saturday, August 23, 2014, I injured myself in a fall. I made up a story about this fall that was untrue. I was wrong to not tell the truth. I apologize to USC for this action on my part.” Umm, through his attorney? Why on earth would one need an attorney to say that you lied?

The Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday that Shaw’s name was in a report from an incident that occurred at the Orsini complex on North Figueroa Street Saturday about 10 p.m.

Josh Shaw, a hero for a matter of hours, is now known for a lie.

With the Trojans’ opener against Fresno State just days away, the USC senior football team captain Wednesday told school officials he fabricated a story about rescuing a nephew in a pool and lied about how he suffered ankle injuries, the school announced.

Shaw, a starting cornerback, was suspended from the team indefinitely.

“We are extremely disappointed in Josh,” USC Coach Steve Sarkisian said in a statement. “He let us all down. As I have said, nothing in his background led us to doubt him when he told us of his injuries, nor did anything after our initial vetting of his story.”

Athletic Director Pat Haden said he was disappointed and surprised because he had found Shaw to be “a very credible kid.” Haden was in the hospital because of a heart issue when he first heard of Shaw’s alleged rescue and injuries. He said USC officials vetted Shaw’s story 12 times with a number of different people.

“Right now, what we know is we have a kid that fabricated a story, period,” Haden said.

And USC publicized it.

The school did not include an explanation of what it now believes actually happened. In a statement released through his attorney, Donald Etra, Shaw acknowledged lying but did not provide any details.

As rumors swirled about what happened to the player, Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Smith said on Tuesday evening that Shaw’s name was mentioned in a burglary report in an incident that occurred Saturday night in the 500 block of Figueroa Street, in downtown Los Angeles.

Shaw was an acquaintance of the victim, not a person of interest or a suspect, Smith said.